filmbore pick of the week - No

No

Director: Pablo Larrain
Screenplay: Pedro Peirano
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Luis Gnecco
Year: 2012
Language: Spanish
UK rental release: June 2013

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We finally leave Scandinavia this week, sailing across the Atlantic to South America for the third in Pablo Larrain's Pinochet trilogy, No, an alternative account of the end of Pinochet's "Dirty War" in Chile.

After General Augusto Pinochet's forces won a successful coup d'état, his fifteen years of dictatorship have been watched by the whole world. There's a global expectation that a legitimisation of his regime is the right course for Chile.

In response to this growing perspective, in 1988 a referendum is raised for a national plebiscite. The Chilean public are expected to vote on whether their leader should stay in power for another eight years or whether a democratic election be raised for a new president...Either they vote "Yes" or "No".

René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal, The Motorcycle Diaries, Amores Perros) is an expert in advertising campaigns, lacing them with political subtext. His talents are recognised by an old friend, José Tomás Urritua (Luis Gneco, Pérez, Padre Nuestro), who comes from a more socialist angle. Urritua wishes to recruit René for the "No" campaign. 

René's boss, Lucho Guzmán, Post Mortem, Tony Manero) is reluctant for René to go through with this offer; that it would destroy his reputation and soil a career he worked so hard to build. Nevertheless, despite advice from his companion and employer, René decides to do to go ahead with the campaign anyway.

He wants to take a different approach to the campaign. Instead of raising awareness to the horrors present in Chile, he believes a softer, more positive perspective could win the campaign for them. He wants to inject humour and happiness into each video. Such a prospect could be the only way to be rid of Pinochet for good.

Those that don't vote are too scared to. Those that do, say "Yes". René has to figure out how the construction of this campaign will draw in abstainers from the shadow of Pinochet, which appears to be the only way for Chile to make a stand and overthrow their adopted leader. This cloud seems to be present in their attempts as well, however. 

René and his colleagues sometimes have to resort to guerrilla-style shooting of the campaign material in fear of soldiers interfering and halting their work. It doesn't take long for suspicion and discomposure to set in. The further René takes it, the harder his life becomes, as his family home is threatened by the opposition. Even his peers are unsure of his maverick, risky approach. 

Nobody takes him seriously, many offended by his optimistic approach. Before he can influence the public with his campaign, he has to convince his benefactors first.

Based on Antonio Skármeta's unpublished play El Plebiscito, Pablo Larrain's take in No is a memorable one. It takes us to 1988, in a time when TV advertising techniques were starting to be using in political campaigns. And king of the ad is René Saavedra, played by Gael Garcia Bernal. 

Bernal is, as always, just excellent. His subtle performances are just as divine as his more powerful ones, and there's a smart blend of both at play here: a hint of the charismatic in his poised, reflective portrayal of René Saavedra. His fellow cast members are equally spectacular, executing their roles with natural grace in order to transport us to this complex time in Chilean politics.

You really do feel that you have taken back to this era. The vintage look required is absolutely spot on. The set dressing, the clothes; everything is so beautifully and impeccably designed you have to actively seek out the purposeful stylisation used.

Such choices are imperative when considering one of the concepts that make this film so enriching. Larrain has cleverly used real archived footage of campaigns, attacks, riots and arrests from this period in Chile's history, including video recordings from the real "Yes" and "No" campaigns of the time. 

All of this material is edited into some interesting cinematography. Refusing the favoured tech of the moment (Hi-definition) Pablo Larrain opted instead for low-res 3/4 inch U-matic magnetic tape to shoot the picture, which is the same type of film used by Chilean TV in the 1980's. Thanks to this, frankly, perilous we're presented with a piece that's chock full of 80's music video stylising and rustic lens grains. It brings a real retro feel and I'm glad to say that I found it absolutely mesmerising. Don't get me wrong, I adore the crispness and depth of Hi-def, but there's no mistaking beauty in simplicity and hidden detail, providing a rich template throughout.

It is incredibly striking in its look. It's a brave move that works perfectly, especially with the real footage mixed in seamlessly. Such methods may have prevented any further interest in more commercial outlets, with even the Oscars being wary of this title, yet this technique allowed for consistent transitions between recorded scenes and real footage. It was a risk worth taking.

This amalgamation of both sources is most impressive when a parade and concert, organised by René's campaign, is infiltrated by Pinochet's forces. Overlays of our cast over recordings from that period is startling. It's expertly handled and still has the ability to confound and shock; even though we are aware that these edits exists (even if they are sensationally smooth) we are there with René amidst a shocking response.

Some of these images may shock those of you with a delicate disposition. The footage used is a stark reminder of the terrors, the torture and the oppression that the dictatorship brought to Chile. Thousands had been tortured, beaten, detained, killed, with many more still missing. Some of it will move you, highlighting the horrific way in which Chile's regime has wrecked the lives and damaged the souls of the country's people.

I admit, it can be quite sombre. Yet, it is necessary to take this slant when considering the source material we are dealing with here. Thankfully, some of the campaign footage, in its light manner, elevates the picture ever so slightly above the morbidity that it could have fallen victim too, providing a balanced, political piece.

Winning the Art Cinema Award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, there are few pictures like No. When creating a story of brave individuals you have to be a little courageous yourself. Pablo Larrain has finished his trilogy with panache and inventiveness. It's touching. It's raw. It's important. 


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